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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · current · stem · season · racket · scale · spell · stand

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spell — letters
  9. current — happening now
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spell — magic
  12. stem — to come from
  13. scale — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. spell — a short time
  21. current — electric
  22. scale — size or range
  23. season — of the year
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com